Minister Grlić Radman attends FAC

Minister of Foreign and European Affairs Gordan Grlić Radman on Monday attended a meeting of the Foreign Affairs Council (FAC)

Minister of Foreign and European Affairs Gordan Grlić Radman on Monday attended a meeting of the Foreign Affairs Council (FAC).

On the agenda were the Belgrade-Pristina Dialogue, Belarus, Russia, and relations with Latin America and the Caribbean.

EU Special Representative for the Belgrade-Pristina Dialogue Miroslav Lajčák informed the foreign ministers about the state of play of the Belgrade-Pristina Dialogue, its challenges and prospects. Grlić Radman expressed strong support for Lajčák’s efforts, underscoring the importance of reaching a comprehensive agreement between Serbia and Kosovo. “I highlighted other challenges in the region as well, including Bosnia and Herzegovina and its future. In that context, I requested that the ministers hold a discussion on the Western Balkans at one of their future meetings,” Grlić Radman said.

In response to the development in Belarus, the Council agreed on a concrete package of measures that the EU is ready to offer in support of a new democratic Belarus and the civil society. The ministers underlined support for the country’s sovereignty and independence, and for the democratic freedoms and rights of its citizens. They confirmed that Alexander Lukashenko lacks any democratic legitimacy and greenlighted the preparation of a next sanctions package, including against Lukashenko and other high-ranking officials.

In the context of Russia, the ministers reaffirmed the continued relevance of the five guiding principles agreed in 2016. The full implementation of the Minsk Agreements remains a key condition for any substantial change in the EU-Russia relations. The EU will step up support for the Russian civil society and human rights defenders, and will continue to strengthen bridges between the peoples. The Council also agreed to take forward the initiative to propose restrictive measures against those linked to the assassination attempt of Alexei Navalny. Given the multidimensional relations with Russia, the ministers discussed selective engagement and dialogue with the country in areas of EU’s interest.

During the debate on Latin America and the Caribbean, the ministers emphasized the need to relaunch the inter-regional dialogue, given the economic and geopolitical importance that the region has for Europe. The EU is willing to assist its Latin American partners in dealing with the political and socioeconomic challenges, namely in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, as well as issues of climate change and the environment. The ministers underscored the importance of the EU-Mercosur Trade Agreement for the advancement of trade and other ties.   

In addition, the Council discussed the situation in Nagorno-Karabakh, Mozambique, Venezuela, the EU-Ukraine Summit of October 6^th and the EU Action Plan on Human Rights and Democracy 2020-2024.

Ahead of the Council meeting, the ministers held informal talks with the Saudi Arabian Foreign Minister, Prince Faisal bin Farhan Al-Saud, about the situation in the wider Middle East region and the EU-Saudi Arabia relations.

 

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